Chris Lombardi puts defense and security under the spotlight, as he shares his takes on recent NATO and EU cooperation and provides insight into the company’s own long-term strategic partnerships in Europe.

Three trends are currently driving the global electricity sector: decarbonization, decentralization and differentiation. Utilities are making significant contributions to mitigate carbon emissions, while a technology revolution is …

Study does not presage Canadian free trade accord, says Commission

The European Commission will release the results of a study on EU-Canada trade relations over the summer, paving the way for closer ties between the two economies – but not necessarily a full-blown free trade agreement.

A Commission source said that it was “not a feasibility study that would normally be applied to free trade negotiations”. “It should not be overplayed or oversold by anyone at this point,” he said.

Canada, which has long been pushing for a trade deal with the EU, may have to settle for an enhanced partnership agreement. Christos Sirros, the head of the Quebec delegation in Brussels, said that any deal would have to create opportunities for “trade-offs”, covering issues in a “global” rather than a “sequential” manner.

Canadian provinces Quebec and Ontario, which have strong ties with France and the UK, have been lobbying especially hard for a trade agreement. Sirros said that an eventual deal should cover market access, non-tariff barriers, regulatory co-operation, public procurement and labour mobility.

A French diplomat said that his country, which currently holds the presidency of the Council of Ministers, would be pushing for an ambitious declaration at the EU-Canada summit on 17 October. She conceded, however, that a proposed EU ban on seal products could disrupt negotiations. The proposal, unveiled last week (23 July), would target countries like Canada, which are considered to be insufficiently regulated. Sirros said that hunting methods employed in Canada had changed considerably in the past three decades and could no longer be considered “cruel and inhumane”.

Climate change discussions, contentious in the past, are expected to be less troublesome this time round.